Paper Lace was a classic one-hit wonder band. In America, anyway. In the U.K. they were a classic two-hit wonder.

Formed in 1969 in Nottingham, England, and made up of Michael Vaughn, Chris Morris, Carlo Santanna, Cliff Fish, and Phillip Wright, Paper Lace was one of hundreds of pop bands in England looking for the big time while slogging their way through small club gigs and brief television appearances. Their big break came in 1974 when their version of the tear-jerking bubblegum tune "Billy, Don't Be a Hero" won top honors on Opportunity Knocks, a nationwide talent-show on ITV. They rode that song all the way to the top of the U.K. charts but were aced out of any sales in the U.S. by Bo Donaldson & the Haywoods' transcendent version. Their next single,"The Night Chicago Died," did manage to hit the number one slot on the U.S. charts (number three in the U.K.) and then that was it. The group released two albums, Paper Lace and Other Bits of Material in 1974 and First Editon in 1975, and did a quick fade from the public eye. In 1978 they surfaced briefly with a singalong version of "We've Got the Whole World in Our Hands" with their local football team, Nottingham Forest FC, and the disappeared forever.

... (Rivers of Babylon) and “La Noche que Chicago se Murió” (The Night Chicago Died), their tributes to Boney M and Paper Lace in Banda style, respectively. ...

It is like the paper lace around the bonbon box--we could get along without it." The Famous 5 knew the only way to get something was to go do it. ...

Paper Lace and that bloke who sings about Basingstoke. November 5 at The Maze supporting New York Alcoholic Anxiety Attack. Get there for about 8pm. ...

"Lace in Translation," contemporary exploration of the intersection of handcraftsmanship and modern mass production. Through April 2, 2010. FAN Gallery. ...